(1/29) Cumberland Township supervisors voted to allow a rezoning request to move forward at its January 24 meeting.

Developer Marty Hill, of Cumberland Club, LLC, asked the board to consider the property at 730 Chambersburg Road for mixed use zoning. The property, the former home of the Gettysburg Country Club, is currently zoned residential.

Township Solicitor Sam Wiser said the rezoning is permissible under the township's comprehensive plan.

The board had asked Wiser to determine if the rezoning would result in spot zoning, in which a piece of land is zoned differently from surrounding parcels without a substantive reason. Wiser said the rezoning would not result in spot zoning and that the request was appropriate.

The township's comprehensive plan states that commercial development is best suited for areas along U.S. 30 (Chambersburg Road) and other arterial routes in the township, Wiser said. The parcel is in a township-designated growth area, and all necessary public facilities are in place for commercial development.

Hill told supervisors that he would cover all legal and advertising costs associated with the rezoning process.

The rezoning request must now be reviewed by the township's planning commission and the Adams County Planning Commission, and township supervisors must hold a public hearing on the request, said township manager Ben Thomas.

Community Media funding

Supervisors also voted unanimously on Tuesday to deny a request by Community Media for a donation of six percent of the township's cable franchise fee, a total of $4,200.

Thomas said that after receiving the funding request, he asked for a copy of Community Media's budget and for the number of township residents who could access the Community Media station. Thomas said he was told that the station serves 1,500 customers in the township, and that Community Media already receives $36,000 annually from Comcast.

Supervisor Al Ferranto said that he was not in favor of the donation since the township does not have the money designated in its budget this year.

"With all the needs that Cumberland Township has...the money could be better spent in the township," he said.